The 2018 US Open just finished, but this one will be remembered for ages.
We saw great performances from familiar faces and had emerging talents burst onto the scene. Legends solidified their legacy, while others were set back by injury. We saw a minor officiating controversy on the men’s side during the second round, which was only a teaser for the full blown officiating catastrophe during the women’s finals.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest moments of this year’s US Open.
NAOMI’S HISTORIC WIN
First up, some good news, as Japanese-American youngster Naomi Osaka showed her mettle on and off the court. With her victory over Serena Williams, the 20-year-old became the first Japanese citizen to win a grand slam tournament and appears set to build on that moving forward. We may be looking at tennis’ next female superstar.
Osaka impressed on the court and in the media, but also carried herself well in less than ideal situations, as it is not often a young champion winning her first title is met with boos in a country she has lived in since childhood (Osaka resides in Florida).
Of course, it’s also not often Serena is beat in straight sets at the US Open. And that brings us to…
SERENA’S MELTDOWN
In a tournament with lots of newsworthy events, this is the big one.
Serena Williams was docked a point, then penalized an entire game, and she wasn’t shy about voicing her displeasure with the umpire.
After losing in straight sets, she was gracious towards Osaka. The offending official, Carlos Ramos, was not so lucky. A tearful Serena argued with him on the court and has proceeded to accuse him of holding a sexist double standard and stealing points from her.
Serena brought up some great points, but the ordeal got her fans excited, and was why Osaka was booed during her victory. To her credit, Serena intervened and told the rowdy crowd to stop.
Hong Kong tennis fans that missed this wild match can check out the highlights here.
DJOKOVIC WINS…AGAIN
The summer of Novak continues.
After missing significant time with injury, Novak Djokovic is back with a vengeance. The 2018 Wimbledon champ took home his 3rd US Open title with a victory over Juan Martin del Potro. Del Potro put up a fight in a hard fought 95-minute second set, but the 2009 US Open champ from Argentina was ultimately no match for Djokovic, falling 6-3, 7-6 (4),6-3.
With the win, Djokovic now has 14 Grand Slam titles to his name. This puts him in a tie for 3rd place with American legend Pete Sampras, trailing only Nadal (17) and Federer (20).
According to Del Potro, a pretty good player with the misfortune of playing in a very tough era, the aging Federer and injured Nadal better watch out.
“Of course he can,” he said, when asked in Djokovic can catch the other two. “He has 14 already. He won two Grand Slams in one year.”
NADAL INJURED, FEDERER UPSET
With Djokovic, Nadal and Federer all active, it’s truly a great time for the ATP. That said, the US Open didn’t go all that well for the other two men’s superstars.
Federer was upset in the 4th round, losing to 37th ranked Australian John Millman in 4 sets. Millman’s first victory against a top-10 opponent was short-lived, as Djokovic beat him in straight sets in the quarterfinals.
Performance wise, Nadal didn’t disappoint, making it to the semis, but his knee began to flare up and he had to retire from his match with Del Potro.
With all the intrigue of this year’s US Open, what moment was your favourite? Let us know in the comments!
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